|
Getting your Trinity Audio player ready...
|
It was another weekend of violence and disorder in Chicago. “At least 32 shot, 8 fatally, in weekend violence across city,” read one headline on the WLS-TV news website. Another headline said, “15 arrested in connection with Loop chaos after 2 teens shot.” That story went on to report that a “large disturbance” — more accurately, a small riot — took place in the city’s downtown area. Videos of the incident showed crowds of young people jumping on cars and buses. Later, at least one person pulled out a gun.
It was, in other words, just another weekend in Chicago. Except now, the city has a new mayor-elect who will be sworn in on May 15 after an election that turned on the issue of crime. “Chicago mayor’s race dominated by concerns about city crime,” read an Associated Press headline in late February. It was a fight between Democrats — Republicans don’t have a chance in deepest-blue Chicago — and the question was who best can pull the city out of its crime crisis. Candidate Paul Vallas, with the endorsement of the police union, based his campaign on one principle: “We’ve got to restore public safety. Everything proceeds from that.”
Opponent Brandon Johnson, a Cook County commissioner and former teacher’s union organizer, was on the “defund the police” left. Johnson later claimed he never supported the idea of defunding the police, but on a Chicago radio appearance, he talked about “our effort and our move to redirect and defund the amount of money that is spent in policing.” And as a county commissioner, Johnson wrote a resolution to “redirect funds from policing and incarceration to public services not administered by law enforcement that promote community health and safety equitably.”
The election was April 4. The voters had a clear choice: Elect a new mayor who would be tougher on crime, or elect a new mayor who would be more lenient on crime. They chose the more lenient candidate. In a fairly narrow contest, Johnson prevailed with 52.1% of the vote to Vallas’ 47.9%.
It seemed baffling. There were analyses in the press trying to explain why Chicagoans had made such a choice. The New York Times talked to a Johnson voter who called Vallas “a Republican in disguise.” Several other voters expressed concern that Vallas was a “closet Republican,” that he wasn’t a real Democrat. Speaking to voters at polling sites, several said they “were largely swayed by a sense that Mr. Johnson was the true progressive in the race.”
So there was a reason. In a heavily Democratic city, a progressive Democrat city, it didn’t really matter which candidate might more effectively reduce crime. It was which candidate was on our team. And on that, Johnson won.
So now there is the recent weekend. It should be noted that Johnson is not the mayor yet, but he reacted in a way that suggested that when he does become mayor, he will not crack down on the rampant crime seen across the city in the last few days. Here is his statement:
In no way do I condone the destructive activity we saw in the Loop and lakefront this weekend. It is unacceptable and has no place in our city. However, it is not constructive to demonize youth who have otherwise been starved of opportunities in their own communities. Our city must work together to create spaces for youth to gather safely and responsibly, under adult guidance and supervision, to ensure that every part of our city remains welcome for both residents and visitors. This is one aspect of my comprehensive approach to improve public safety and make Chicago livable for everyone.
Johnson’s statement was carefully worded. He does not condone the violence and disorder. It is unacceptable and has no place in Chicago. But then came the big however. The violence and disorder is no reason to “demonize” youth — the perpetrators of the violence and disorder — when the real work should involve creating “spaces” for them to gather safely and responsibly.
Meanwhile, Chicago’s already terrible crime rate is becoming more terrible. According to the Chicago Police Department, every crime except murder is up from last year, which was up from the year before, which was up from the year before. Stolen cars are up 135% this year from the same period in 2022. Theft is up 22%. Robbery is up 15%. Burglary is up 6%. Aggravated battery is up 4%. Criminal sexual assault is up 2%.. The only crime that is down is murder, which is down 17% from the same period in 2022. That’s some improvement, but it should be noted that those statistics do not include the most recent week and weekend, which will surely make the numbers worse.
Johnson’s reaction to the recent violence — don’t “demonize” criminals, create safe spaces for them — will surely frustrate those who see stronger law enforcement as the way to address Chicago’s crime crisis. But it is precisely what Johnson campaigned on, and precisely what Chicago voters chose. If more bad things happen in the future, the city’s voters will know who to blame: themselves.
So the Sheep vote for the Wolf to protect them despite the fact the Sheep Dog was doing a good job. Yes Liberals a re this Dunb
Hey…not to worry. When all the white people who pay for the city services decide to take Scott Adams’ advice…..
I’m sure things will settle down nicely.
If you like living in a cesspool, what better way to maintain it than by electing a swamp creature.
“The New York Times talked to a Johnson voter who called Vallas “a Republican in disguise.”
If you want to stop the rampant crime wave in Chicago that’s the first sign of a closet Republican. Whew, that was a close one. Good thing the genius public was able to recognize that and vote in Johnson.
WHOAA !! This is NOT “just another weekend in Chicago”! If you’ve been following the carnage and insanity of Chicago you KNOW that 8 killed out of 32 shot is a much HIGHER rate than their usual 15% of killed vs shot! Could it be that the thugs are actually practicing “gun control”?? Maybe this weekend is just and outlier and they’ll be back to their normal proficiency next weekend!! Is this callous?? It would be if we weren’t talking about Chicago!
Practice makes perfect. Who says it has to occur at the range?
Holding cock while shooting no longer de rigueur.
Once again the mayoral voting process in Chicago left the people with a choice between 2 evils. The process for voting for Mayor has been rigged since the late 1930s, and will never change.
Johnson will find his big ideas mostly shut down, and Crime will indeed run rampant, as it has during the last mayors term. Only now there wont ever be a new tax base to add money to fix anything.
I agree. Vallas was no prize either. He would never make the changes that would make a difference.
One voting pattern that always puzzles me is why Black people vote nearly 100% Democrat no matter who is running. I also note that the people in power that seem to hate former President Trump the most and are willing to abuse their powers to vent their hatred are black Judges, Politicians, and DAs.
The rumor that was started that Vallas was a closet Republican was enough to sink him.
Can anyone explain how and why Black people are almost a 100% voting block for the party that once fought tooth and nail to keep them as slaves and has turned the places they live into violent, dangerous, and poverty stricken cities???
Black people suffer from “Stockholm Syndrome” .
Blacks vote for blacks exclusively……it’s get back.
And look at the So called Black President ( that was a win-win situation) divided the nation on a level never seen before.. The so called mans fascination with sexuality and the new tranny culture and et in place the new festering deviate DNC agenda based sickness.. The man still has his life hidden from the Public eye, His Blatant Homosexual life style was hidden by the media elite. His Rev Write 20 year affiliation was also swept under the carpet. And another first to be proud of the first actively Gay man to have his lover Paid for by the white house “Reggie Love” = .”His personal male companion.!. They even went so far as to share wedding rings !
politically correct way of saying “stupidity”?
Hard to compete with Santa Claus. That’s what Rush used to say.
Well, Johnson is black and Vallas white so it could be a simple case of racism in this instance.
Chicago is Translated from a the Indian/Native American word for Skunk/Bad Smell it sort of fits don’t it?
When you elect evil people to represent you the outcome is always a
violent disaster. Americans should be sick and tired of the vile crowd
of politicians and their followers, a house cleaning should take place.
border to boarder and coast to coast for American survival.
Don’t you think that the most likely reason Chicago “chose” Communist candidates was a rigged vote? I do. Once the Communists get control of the political infrastructure of a city there will be no more honest votes.
I no longer empathize with these “vote Democrat no matter what” dumb voters who brought in a mayor even worse than his predecessor. They put themselves in the putrid outhouse, and if their city turns into an even bigger sh*thole than it already is, they have only themselves to blame.
And the closing of Walmart stores in these sh*thole cities? Of course, they blame racism! What other corporation on the planet would continue doing business in a city where shoplifting is not a crime, and jerks walk out of stores with carts full of stolen goods?
It takes some real pretzel logic to empathize with people who repeatedly chose to victimize themselves. This became evident when the mayor-elect said not to “demonize” the criminals causing unabated mayhem on a regular basis. It’s like telling someone you can run all the red lights and then wondering why there was a four car pile up at the intersection. In this scenario those unwilling to admit their flawed policy just eliminate red lights.
Once prior to the election he said that black people shouldn’t be subjected to “racist” law enforcement or something equally as stupid. A majority of Chicago voters asked for this. As Lord Obama once said, “Elections have consequences.”
He is parroting the same line thst the Left has used to excuse virtually every social pathology that eats away at the foundations of our society. It’s because of social injustice. And all one had to do is string together a half dozen or so stock leftist phrases to like beads on a necklace to talk the talk
“ Da Peeple” will vote for it and accept living in a Clockwork Orange society until it comes crashing down and some strongman dictator restores order ( and extinguishes freedom )
A narrative from the colluding media.
🎶 I saw a man – get lanced with a knife – In – CHICAGOOO!
The millennial creatures running the Biden administration probably have never heard about the Democratic convention of 1968 Chicago.
Them poor wee boys didnt do no nuffin as they are way too busy burning down and trashing their own neighborhoods as Malcolm X once said… First we have to clean up the neighborhood..
And look what they did to him.
A question for Daniel…. Can you do a tally on the amount of people shot and killed in Kabul, or Tehran or Chicago on any given Weekend.
Who shot whom the most…
Chicagoans will have no one to blame but themselves. Reality and reason are cast aside for prejudice. The minority should seriously think about moving before being victimized. Businesses will certainly be closing. Nothing civilized can survive this kind of predations.